Adjustable awning



2 Sheets-Shee l Aug. 27, 1968 w. A. vEAcH, JR.; ETAL ADJUSTABLE AWNING Filed April l5, 1966 IVAN GUTHRIE INVENTORS WESLEY A. VEACH, JR.

FIG. 2

ATTORNEY Aug 27 1968 w. A. vEAcH, JR.. ETAL 3,398,778

ADJUSTABLE AWNING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 15, 196e l n IJ WESLEY A. VEACH, JR.

IVAN GU THRIE INVENTORS ATTORNEY United States Patent() M 3,398,778 ADJUSTABLE AWNING Wesley A. Veach, Ir., 318 Hillside, Richardson, Tex. 75080, and Ivan Guthrie, Rte. 1, Box 281FF, Grand Prairie, Tex. 75050 Filed Apr. 15, 1966, Ser. No. 542,799

4A Claims.- (Cl. 160-45) vABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE` An adjustable awning which can be varied in width to permit adapting of the awning to doorways of different widths. The awning is further adapted to be easily'installed in a canted position within the doorway by attach ing-means loosely affixed .to at least one of the awning support bars. l

This invention relates to awnings, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to awnings adapted to be disposed in the open doorway of freight cars and the like for protecting freight handlers from the elements as .they transport cargo between a freight car and anunloading platform.

It is desirable to have an awningthe width of which can be varied to permit-adapting of the awning to doorways ,of different widths. For example the doorways of certain freight cars have a width of six feet while other freight cars may be provided with doorways that are eight feet wide. There are 'also advantages to having an awning which can be canted within the doorwayl of the structure to prevent the accumulation of, rain or the like on the awning material. l Y 'Y Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to` provide an improved awning structure which can be adapted to =t in openings of different widths.

Yet another 'object of the invention is to provide an improved awning structure which can easily be installed in an opening in a canted position to prevent'accumula-A tion of water or the like on the awning material.

The invention may be generally described as an awning structure for disposition within an open doorway which includes parallel lateral support bars which are adapted to be disposed near the sides of the doorway with one end of each extending into the structure and both ends of each havin-g loops provided thereon. Means are carried by the support bars for attaching the bars on corresponding ends to the sides of a doorway. At least one of the means for attaching the bars is loosely affixed to one of the bars to permit its movement through a vertical arc lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the doorway. Transverse rods are provided which pass through and are slidably carried Within the loops on the ends of the support bars thereby forming a rectilinear frame assembly. A rectilinear cover is disposed across the frame assembly and provided with opposed looped edges through which the transverse rods pass. To support the frame assembly over the doorway, oblique brace members are loosely aflixed at one end to each of the lateral support bars and are provided at the other end with clamp means which loosely aflix the oblique members to the doorway intermediate the sill and head thereof.

To Ibe more specific, reference is made to the drawings, inwhich:

FIGURE l is a partially cutaway perspective view of a railroad car illustrating one embodiment of the present invention disposed in the doorway of the car;

FIGURE 2 is also a partially cutaway perspective view of a railroad car illustrating the above embodiment of the present invention disposed in the doorway of the car in a canted position;

JCC

v FIGURE 3` is a partially cutaway view illustratingwthe awning as it would appear when disposed in a doorway of less width than the doorway illustrated in FIGURES l and 2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view -of a clamp which is used with the embodiment of the invention illustrated in,

FIGURES 1-3;

FIGURE 5 is also a perspective view of a clamp which* is used with the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 1 3; and v FIGURE 6 is a partially cutaway perspective viewA illustrating the looped edges of the cover material used through bracket and roller assembly v13 upon rail 14.`

Door 12 together with side 15 of car 11 define a doorway 1-6 which is also bounded by a head 17 and a sill 18. All of the above described structure is, of course, conventional. Referring again to FIGURE l, awning 19 includes a generally rectilinear frame assembly defined in part by lateral support bars 20 and 21, one end of each of which projects into the freight car, as particularly illustrated in FIGURE 3. Support bars 20 and 21 are provided proximate corresponding ends with clamps 22 and 23, respec tively, which serve to attach support bars 20 and 21 to the edges of doorway 16. Clamp 22, more particularly illustrated in FIGURE 4, comprises a conventional C-clamp including a screw 24 which is threadedly received in C-shaped body 25. Body 25 is loosely affixed to support bar 20 by interconnecting loops 26 and 27 secured to body 25 and support bar 20, respectively, by conventional means such as welding or the like. By manipulation of screw 24 in a conventional fashion, the clamp 22 may be attached to the side of doorway 16. `Cla-mp 23, particularly illustrated in FIGURE 5, includes a C-shaped body 28 which threadedly carries a screw 29. Body 28 is affixed to support bar 21 by weld bead 30, Clamp 23 is aixed to the edge of doorway 16 by manipulation of screw 29 in a conventional fashion. Support bar 20v is provided at either end with loops 31 and 32, and support bar 21, in like fashion, is provided with loops 33 and 313. Threaded through the loops carried lby support bars 20 and 21 are transverse rods 34 and 35 which also pass through looped edges 36 and 37 of cover material 45 which may be canvas or the like.

The continuity of the looped edges 36 and 37 is interl rupted, by severing, at points 36a, 36b, and 37a and 37b.

Thus, if the awning 19 is to cover an eight foot wide doorway, the rods 34 and 35 are threaded through the entire length of loops 36 and 37, respectively, which are formed in an eight foot width. If, however, the doorway to ybe covered is six feet in width, rods 34 and 35 are' only threaded through the lengths of looped edges 36 and 37 between points 36a and 36h and 37a and 37b, respectively, resulting in an awning of six foot width since flaps 45 and 45 are each one foot in width.

To aid in supporting awning 19 within doorway 16 there are provided oblique braces 38 and 39. Brace 38 is loosely aixed at one end to support bar 20 by interconnecting loops 40, and brace 39 is likewise connected at a corresponding end to support bar 21 by interconnecting loops 41. The opposite end of brace 38 is loosely connected by interconnecting loops 42 to a clamp 43 which is like clamp 22 illustrated in FIGURE 4 except it is provided with attachment means along the top of the clamp. Brace 39 is likewise loosely connected by interconnecting loops 44 to a cla-mp 46 like clamp 43, except oriented in the opposite direction.

To prevent build-up of rain or the like on cover 45, awning 19 may be canted as illustrated in FIGURE 2 by Patented Aug. 27, 196,8l

iixing clamps 22 and 43 at points along the edge of doorway 16 which are lower than the points at which clamps 23 and 46 are aflixed to the. opposite edge of the doorway. Rain or the like impinging cover 45 will then exit awning 19 along the corner thereof defined by bar 20 and rod 35. It is obvious from the above description that the slope of awning 19 may be varied by adjusting the clamps 43 and 46 along the edges of doorway 16.

To assemble awning 19 on the doorway of a freight car, cover 38 may be stretched across the frame assembly by threading rods 34 and 35 through the looped edges 36 and 37 thereof and through the loops in the ends of lateral support 'bars 20 and 21. The assembly may then be tilted and inserted through doorway 16 and clamp 22 aiiixed to the edge of the doorway near the head 17. Clamp 23 may then be afixed to the opposite edge of doorway 16 and the clamps 43 and 46 aixed to fully support awning 19. Clamp 23 need not be rigidly aflixed to support bar 21 as illustrated in FIGURE 5, but may be loosely affixed like cl-amp 22, illustrated in FIGURE 4. The downward slope of awning 19 may be more readily adjusted if clamp 23 is loosely aixed to support bar 21.

While rather specific terms have been used to describe one embodiment of the invention, they are not intended, nor should they be construed, as limitations on the invention as dened in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable awning for disposition within the doorway of a structure for shielding the space thereunder, comprising:

(a) parallel lateral support bars adapted to lbe disposed adjacent the sides of the doorway near the head thereof with one end of each support bar extending into the structure, each of said support bars being provided with loops proximate either end;

(b) means carried by said support bars for attaching lsaid bars near the corresponding ends thereof to the sides of said doorway, at least one of said means being loosely aixed to one of said support bars for permitting movement of said bar through a vertical larc -lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of said doorway;

(c) transverse rods passing through and slidably carried Within the loops on the ends of said support bars for forming a substantial-ly rectilinear frame assem-` bly therewith;

(d) a substantially rectilinear cover disposed across said frame assembly and provided with opposed Ilooped edges through which said transverse rods pass;

(e) '.amoblique Ybrace member loosely axed abone end to each of said lateral supportl barsgand (f) clamp means loosely aiiixed to the opposite ends of each of said oblique brace'membersfor attachment to said doorway intermediate the sill and head thereof.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein one of said transverse rods is positioned within said structure and said oblique braces are adapted to be attached to said doorway so that said framel assembly is canted downwardly away* from saidsdoorway. n I 1 3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the continuity of the looped edges of the cover are interrupted at least once proximate at least one end of the cover to permit the" transverse rods to be threadedthrough only a portion of the edges of the cover thereby permitting installation of the awning in doorways of different widths.

4. The awning structure defined in claim 1 whereinv said clamp means are secured to opposedv door jambs at different levels to maintain the rain diverting sheet atl an angle to prevent buildup of yrainthereupon.

References Cited DAVID I. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

P. C. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner. 

